"It was given to me, but with the warning that it might not work," Yasmin replies. "We can go back to where I arrived and try it... but I'm not sure how to make it function. I don't know if you just wave it around, say a magic word, put it into an existing lock, lick it, or... something else."
"That would be an interesting activation method." Yelenn says with a chuckle. "It's up to you. If you want to take time to figure it out better I can help if you want. If you would rather learn more about where we are first that's fine by me."
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"We might as well backtrack through the flower forest maze and I can show you where I arrived. Then we can see if there's anything else there... I just picked a path at random; there were some other paths," says Yasmin. She replaces the key into her halter with a soft metal clink.
Raising an eyebow for a moment at the unexpected metallic sound, Yelenn nods. "Okay, ready whenever you are."
Yasmin leads the group across to her side of the river and back the way she came...
Retracing her steps Yasmin leads the women back to where the flowers overtook the moss, and also finding her surmation of it being a maze was not that far off, as there appears to be at least three flower filled “hallways” to chose from.
Looking at the passageway as Yasmin leads them, Yelenn breathes deeply, enjoying the scent of the flowers. "Is this the way you came?" she asks indicating the tunnel to the far right.
Mylyna lounged around in a sunbeam until they were ready to press onward and then kept to the back of the group as they went to the maze. She reared up enough to lean over Yelenn and said, "Looks like it."
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Smiling up over he shoulder, Yelenn finds herself momentarily distracted by the view of Mylyna's naked torso, before turning back to check if this was in fact the path Yasmin had traveled. Assuming it to be correct, the magus draws her sword. "Let me go first okay?" she says to her companions before leading the way down the path.
Traveling down the path it becomes easier for Yelenn to notice not only the impressions of footsteps but also an impression at shoulder level on the wall as if something was drug by. After a few minutes of cautious walking she comes upon a door into the wall, flowers trying to overtake it but staying neat and confined to the wall.
"This is the place. Nice flowers. Don't know if anyone lives here, now. No telling who made it," says Yasmin. "I suppose it's nice to know that at some point, someone was able to build something more than a mud hut on this island?"
"Definitely. There's a lot of beauty here." Yelenn comments moving to inspect the door surrounded by flowers. "Do you think your key opens's this?"
"I don't think so, it's for a different door, but... no harm in trying," says Yasmin. She digs in her halter again for the key and tries it on the door.
No phantasmagoric display occurs when Yasmin brings her warped key to the keyhole on the door, it doesn’t even fit in, seemingly requiring a normal toothed key for locking and unlocking if it is needed.
Yasmin shrugs. "Sorry. I guess it doesn't work on this one. But I guess this means we need to keep an eye out for other keys on the island?" she says. "Unless one of you knows how to open locks?"
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"We could just try it." Yelenn says turning the doorknob and pulling.
The door opens promptly and without weariness, revealing a garden surrounding a fountain. A statue of a woman in the fountain holds a urn upside down above her, with water flowing out of and down her form. Carved the same stone the taught cloth barely covering her seems genuinely sheer due to being soaked. The water pools at her feet before feeding into channels running through the garden.
There are three gates, one on each side of the walled garden you find yourself in.
"Wow! Beautiful." Yelenn exclaims moving closer to the statue to study it.
Enamored with the statue, Yelenn notices more of the details of it as she moves closer. Details that lend one to think that it was an actual person turned to stone rather than a unliving chunk of rock which through effort and skill was transformed into a person, who could tell in this land? She also can't help but feel something familiar about this statue of a woman, who, now that she can see the half lidded eyes, is about to fall asleep. Maybe she was pouring water on herself to stay awake?
She also notices that the urn is made of a different type of stone than the statue. It is cruder, with a repeating pattern of three lines covering it.
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"There's....something about this statue, something almost...familiar....and it's so real!" she muses, her mind completely engaging the puzzle before her.
While she's not sure she recognizes the woman the statue is of, she is sure, without a shadow of a doubt that this statue was made by the same sculptor who made the one in the thirteenth room due to the skill and fine details involved.
The statue could be an affectation of the Goddess Lunavi, or even Akasha. Or maybe even soemone she knew. Or should have known.
As for the urn, it is clearly magical, what with the endless water pouring forth seemingly from nowhere, but the Magic can't quite pick out the specific spells in it's makeup.
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"I've seen this quality of work before. There was a statue in a hidden room in my parents' manor that was definitely by the same sculptor." the magus says studying the beautiful work of art. Suddenly distracted, she looks down at her sword with a puzzled expression.
What the hell was that?'
Looking down Yelenn immediately notices the tiniest of gap between her sword and its scabbard... when did it come loose?
"One second." Yelen says to her companions, drawing her sword and studying it for a moment.
The blade slides out easily and without catching, thankfully there was no mishap with the scabbard.
Yelenn stands silent, spellbound as she stares into the mirrored blade of her sword, the only sound her quiet breathing, all else momentarily forgotten.
"If this water is drinkable, that's helpful," says Yasmin pragmatically. "The statue is interesting too... I wonder who put it here?"
"So... which gate do we try?" she says, turning back toward her fellow travelers. Then her brow furrows and she says, "Yelenn? Are you all right?"
"..... what...oh....sorry Yasmin...did you say something?" Yelenn replies, for a moment looking around as if awakened form a dream.
Shaking her head as an odd feeling of....almost loss comes across her, the Witchblade refocuses on the present. "Sorry...something unusual just happens with my sword, but I'm fine now. The urn is definitely magic, tough unlike anything I've ever seen before."
"Hmm. Maybe the water is conjured? I don't know. I can't sense magic like that."
"Hmmm...you definitely have an affinity for some magic." Yelenn replies looking at Yasmin, her eyes still glowing from studying the urn and her sword.
Blinking she deactivates her magical sight. "Sorry...It could definitely be a useful thing to have with us, a continuous source of fresh water is pretty invaluable."
"I know a few tricks, that's all," says Yasmin. "I don't know if we can safely remove the decanter... urn... whatever it is." She furrows her brow slightly and says, "This statue looks so realistic, am I the only one who thinks it's uncannily like a petrified person?"
"No I was thinking the same thing. I mean the sculptor even managed to make it look like her clothing was wet and clinging to her body...." pausing for a moment Yelenn considers something before looking at both her companions with a stunned look. "What if it is? There are a few creatures and monsters that can turn a person to stone.....that would be a pretty terrible fate."
"Just another reason to be cautious around here..." says Yasmin. "Shall we check these gates?"
Never one to resist her own curiosity Yelenn nods. "I don't see why not."
Taking a deep breath the magus turns to look at the gates. "Any preference? In theory we could each try one but in the event something unpleasant lies behind them I'd rather not have to deal with three things at once."
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You also recall stories of the creatures like the Basilisk and Medusa that could turn a person to stone with their gaze alone. Both are known to dwell in swampy lands, though the Medusa given to their apparenace and intelligence due prefer to hide amongst civilized areas. And of course the lowly Cockatrice that could do so with its bite. But this statue does not look like a woman who was in the process of getting pecked to death.
The bars of the gate allow one to look through them to see what might lie beyond.
To the gate to the left you see the moss and trees give way to a cliff side and what looks like a manor near the highest point, and is that snow or silt covering the landscape?
Forward the path veers down into some murk with columns and other types of masonry, some forgotten ruins being reclaimed by the swampy earth, just like the trees of the forest tore the arrogant stone coffins from the ground.
And to the right the path ends shortly at a wall and... are those the tops of buildings peaking over?
"Maybe those buildings? Is it possible that there's a functioning town on this island?"
"Hmm....the kinds of creatures that can petrify a person tend yo live in swampy regions, sort of what it looks like the terain turns to through this gate." Yelenn comments pointing straight ahead. "We might want to avoid that one for now."
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When they found the statues Mylyna found herself looking at it in curiosity, it was very life-like but so far as she could tell it was simply a statue. The water source was intriguing but she decided that if the others weren't messing with it she wouldn't either, the realism of the thing made her very nervous.
As they moved on and found themselves with a decision of where to go Mylyna looked at the swamp nervously, especially when it was mentioned that things that turned people to stone could be found there and decided that she wanted nothing to do with it. The path to the manor looked hopeful except that it seemed to be snow covered. Snow was cold and for her cold was very dangerous. Still that manor looked very inviting. The third path was most intriguing, the fact there might be building up there made her interested in scaling the side and looking. Finding a place with people could be very nice. Looking to her companions Mylya said, "I vote we go there, it looks like there is a town over there."
Nodding as her companions pick opposite directions, but both agree on avoiding the swamp, Yelenn considers. "Both seem equally promising so...." she says drawing a silver coins from her belt and flipping it up into the air, catching it in her palm and bring it down onto the back of her hand.
Putting their fates into the palm of Yelenn’s hand the coin decides they should investigate the wall and the possibility of civilization beyond.
The gates open with little effort, and just as much effort is spent walking the path before being greeted by the wall. There does not seem to be obvious door or passage one would take to get in. And the trees and roots meet it at the sides as wild wood and worked stone blend together.
"Interesting design," says Yasmin. "Secret door of some sort? Or do we have to climb over?"
"Not sure, maybe magic as well." Yelenn says, whispering an arcane phrase as her eyes once again glow, peering into the magical spectrum.
Reactivating her magical sight Yelenn sees the entirety of the wall enveloped in a shimmering and pleasing veil of gold, despite the transparency the aura is easily noticeable at moderate strength.